Never Too Much Page 7

  He pressed his palm against her, heard her broken moan, and said, “I want you to open your legs just a little more for me, okay?”

  Heat rushed over Sierra, making her face hot, her body hotter. All shyness melted away, and she widened her thighs.

  “That’s nice. Now, how does this feel? Be honest.” He very lightly trailed his fingertips over the crotch of her nylon panties, tracing the triangle of hair beneath, dipping down low, coming up to her belly button.

  Sierra tipped her head back and bit her bottom lip.

  “Tell me, honey.”

  “It feels like—”

  His fingers went low, pressed between her lips, and rose again to one ultra-sensitive spot. “Yes?”

  Sierra shook her head. “Stop it,” she said, then quickly explained, so he wouldn’t misunderstand, “Stop . . . trying to make me talk. I can’t.” She closed her eyes and tried to control the trembling that racked her.

  “You wanna just concentrate on how good that feels? Here? And maybe here?”

  The groan erupted, broken, low. “Yes.”

  Idly, Ben used his other hand to return to her breasts. It was the strangest thing for Sierra, to be lying there in the bed, all but naked, her legs spread, while an incredibly gorgeous man who was also a stranger, sat beside her, pleasuring her with single-minded purpose.

  It was also the most exciting thing to ever happen to her. One night, she thought. She deserved this one night.

  “You’re getting wetter,” he told her, then in a rush, “All right, panties off. I want to feel you.”

  He startled her with that abrupt decision and before Sierra could gather her wits, he had stripped her underwear down her legs, leaving her naked. Hands resting on her thighs, he bent to kiss her knee, her hipbone, her inner thigh. It was the most provocative sensation, the touch of his silky cool hair, his beard-rough jaw, in forbidden places.

  With his mouth pressed to the tender flesh in the crease of her leg, he looked up and caught her gaze. His eyes slowly closed and he turned his face inward to draw a deep breath. She heard him growl softly.

  In the next second, he stretched out next to her and pulled her close into his side. His hand tangled almost painfully in her hair and he kissed her hard, crushing her mouth under his, stealing her breath. His jeans-clad leg thrust between hers, opening her more. Sierra clung to him, felt the iron steel in his shoulders, the way his muscles corded and flexed.

  “God, I want you . . .” he said into her mouth. His hand pressed between their bodies and now there was no hesitation as his fingers glided over her, once, twice, spreading her slick wetness over swollen, sensitive flesh. “Put your leg over my hip, I want to . . .”

  She did as he asked and he sank his middle finger into her.

  “Ah, yeah. How’s that?”

  Sierra lurched, but his hand on her skull held her from moving away. Surely, he didn’t expect a reply, she thought wildly.

  He leaned over her, pressing her to her back, pinning her down. His finger moved slow and deep until she moaned and her back bowed trying to bring him closer.

  “Shhh,” he said against her lips. “You’re so hot, so wet.” Watching her closely, he slid another finger in, then a third and she knew it was too much but she couldn’t escape his iron hold and wasn’t even sure that she wanted to.

  “Ben.” Even to her own ears, she sounded weak, soft. She felt stretched, full, but not in a bad way. There was discomfort, but it fed into other feelings of satisfaction. She wanted to be full. She wanted him.

  His arm slid from her head to her back, forcing her breasts up so he could clamp down on one throbbing nipple, sucking strongly, ruthlessly. Sierra twisted as the feelings intensified, burned. She cried out, her hips pumping against him without conscious thought, seeking relief.

  “Here we go,” he whispered so softly against her breast she barely heard him. And he used his thumb to touch her clitoris, a gentle touch at first, barely brushing, teasing, allowing her to assimilate the rush of concentrated feelings, then with more insistence, his touch demanding, consistent, pushing her.

  She broke on a moan of disbelief, her thighs taut and shaking, her belly pulled hard, wave after wave of heat rippling through her.

  Ben’s mouth on her nipple softened, his touch eased, slowed, until finally she lay spent, stunned, perspiration cooling her body. Sierra wasn’t sure she could move if the storm blew the motel over. It had been a long time since she felt so sated, so drained. She concentrated on calming her ragged breathing, on fighting off the tears of relief—and the bubbling laughter.

  Astounding.

  His fingers still inside her, Ben levered up to his side and propped his head on his fist. She knew he looked at her, but she felt too astonished to meet his gaze. Her nipples were still wet from his mouth, still tight and sensitive and the crisp hair on his chest abraded her, made her shiver.

  He was a stranger, but he knew her body better than she did.

  Ben kissed her open mouth, and she felt his arrogant smile. Against her lips, his damn fingers still pressed deep, he asked, “You wanna sleep now, or talk?”

  Her mind felt numb with pleasure—and with questions. How had he done that so . . . so easily?

  Would he be able to do it again?

  Gads. Appalled at herself, Sierra said, “Sleep.” It seemed the wisest choice. She had a lot to consider, and besides, what would they talk about? She supposed she could thank him for what he’d done. To her. So very, very skillfully.

  No, that could wait till morning, when she didn’t feel so shattered. She could tell him good-bye, thank him, and make her escape.

  Taking his time, Ben removed his hand from between her thighs. Silence stretched her nerves to the breaking point, and she opened her eyes to see him put his wet fingers in his mouth. Dumbstruck, she watched him suck her taste from his hand, saw his eyes close in pleasure.

  She must have made a sound of surprise because Ben looked at her, his eyes so burning hot that she almost melted again. He touched his damp fingers to her cheek and growled, “You taste incredible.” He turned her face up, lowered his mouth to hers and slipped his tongue past her lips.

  Shocked, Sierra tried to pull away but he didn’t let her. His tongue moved against hers, sharing her taste and she was both startled and a little turned on by the carnality of it. He left her mouth with a licking kiss and a smile.

  “Next time,” he promised, “I’m going to taste you the way I want to.”

  Next time? Her eyes widened at that awesome thought.

  “Do you think you’d like that, Sierra?” He pecked her mouth, nibbled her bottom lip, almost as if he couldn’t stop kissing her. “Would you like to feel my tongue on you? In you?” The words were deep and rough. “I’ll suck on your clitoris, too, so softly and you’ll love it.”

  He shuddered at his own words; Sierra couldn’t have moved if her life depended on it. The things he said were scandalous, and so exciting. The things he did were more so. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do them to her. He seemed to have forgotten that this was a one-time deal.

  Before she could figure out how to remind him, he said, “I love making a woman come that way.”

  Jealousy, surprisingly strong, struck her. He’d obviously been with dozens of women—and what he’d done to her had been perfected many times over. She turned her head on the pillow to glare at him, but he didn’t give her a chance to protest.

  “There are so many ways I can give you an orgasm.” He looked very pleased with himself. “You liked this, didn’t you?”

  She wouldn’t lie. A sweet lethargy kept her limp, kept her heart thumping in sluggish, heavy beats. Little throbs of pleasure remained just below her skin, in her thighs, her breasts, her belly. “Yes.”

  His smile widened, making him look very boyish. “And you said you weren’t good at this.”

  “I’m not,” she admitted, and then before she could measure her words, she added, “That was an astounding first.”

&n
bsp; Ben looked much struck. “No kidding? Your first orgasm?”

  Good Lord, she didn’t want to have a conversation about it.

  He rubbed her bottom lip with his thumb, and then his look turned thoughtful. “You do mean with a man, right?”

  Sierra drew a blank. What the heck was he asking her? “Uh . . .”

  Ben frowned. “Surely you know how to—”

  “That’s enough on the subject.”

  He cupped her face, caressed her cheek. “Sierra? You’re not telling me that was your first ever?”

  Not liking the way he said that, as if she were odd or something, she bit her lip and refused to answer.

  He looked . . . stunned. Disbelieving. Then soft with male condescension. “Ah, babe.” Smiling, he pulled her into his body, forcing her head to his chest, rubbing his chin against her crown. “You couldn’t come, even touching yourself?”

  Sierra’s face burned again for an entirely different reason. It was disgraceful, everything they’d done and the speed with which they’d done it. But still he could make her blush. She struggled against him, caught between wanting to slug him, and wanting to hide.

  Typically, he tightened his hold. “It’s all right. It’s . . . well, hard to believe that you don’t know your own body well enough to give yourself a climax. You said you’re twenty-four, right?”

  “None of your damn business.” She felt humiliated beyond belief and blamed him. His unregulated speech was sometimes nice, sometimes a turn-on—but this wasn’t one of those times.

  She tried to get her cheek off his chest without much success. His scent was too wonderful, making her weak all over again. “Are we going to sleep sometime tonight?”

  “Yeah, in a bit.” He hugged her closer until her breasts flattened on his abdomen and her belly was pushed up against his fly. “Now quit shoving on me. I’m strung so tight that my body takes every little squirm from you as an invitation. I need to get control so I can hold you while you sleep.”

  She went still in shock. “You’re going to sleep with me?”

  He nuzzled her ear. “Why not?”

  The thought wasn’t at all repellent. She shrugged. Why not indeed? This was a very special night, one she’d remember for a long time, so she might as well finish it off right. Who knew when she’d ever do something this insane again?

  “Don’t worry, your innocence will remain intact.” He kissed her forehead. “There’ll be no sneak attacks during the night.”

  Sierra knew there wasn’t anything truly innocent about her. Would her past disgust him? Somehow, she didn’t think so. He wasn’t brutal like her ex, judgmental and small-minded like her father had been. He wasn’t like the people from her hometown. As far as Sierra could tell, Ben Badwin was unlike anyone she’d ever known.

  He nudged her face up with his, while rubbing her back, her naked bottom. He was still smiling, and there was a hard edge of unfulfilled desire left on his face, a flame in his brown eyes that made him look more appealing than ever. But his hand was gentle when he tucked her hair behind her ear.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes.” She doubted she’d ever be the same, but she was glad for all of it.

  “You’re awfully quiet.”

  Twisting two fingers in his chest hair, she gave a teasing tug. “You’ve worn me out, that’s all.”

  His smile spread to a grin, then a laugh. “I also made you come.” He kissed her hard and fast. “God, what a day it’s been. I can tell you, when I got out of bed this morning, I sure didn’t expect to meet someone like you.”

  Sierra yawned hugely before saying, “Someone like me?”

  “Yeah, someone so sexy and sweet.” He touched her breast, his look intent. “So hot.”

  “Ben . . .” Just that easily, he made her start shaking again.

  He groaned. “Damn. Let’s sleep before I forget my good intentions.”

  Guilt assailed her. She was now well sated, her body still buzzing in the aftermath of her first orgasm, while he remained rigid with need. His efforts at gallantry were ludicrous, and as far as she was concerned, unnecessary. What would it matter if they went a step further—not even that much of a step, all things considered—and had sex?

  “You don’t have to be noble, you know.”

  “Course I do. You keep making comments about men, grouping me in with some assholes from your past.” He sounded more serious now. “I don’t like it. So I’ll keep my word.”

  “Just to prove a point?”

  “You betcha.” He swatted her on the butt. “The point being that I’m different, and when I promise something, I mean it.”

  “Won’t that be hard on you?”

  A dimple appeared in his cheek. “Yeah. Real hard.” He nudged her belly, letting her know firsthand just where that hardness concentrated. His voice dropped. “I’ve never wanted to fuck anyone the way I do you.”

  Her breath caught in rising excitement. “Then we should take advantage of the circumstances—”

  He laid a finger over her mouth. “But it’s more than that. No, don’t panic. I’m not going to invade your life.”

  “You’ve got that right!”

  “But whatever reasons you had earlier tonight for swearing off sex, well, I assume they’re still valid. If you’ve changed your mind now, it’s because I’ve got you all softened up.” He grinned hugely. “Wonder if I could control you with sex? Whatdya think? You’re much more agreeable now than you were earlier.”

  “I think I might club you in your sleep if you’re not careful.”

  He laughed, his good humor inexhaustible. “Let’s sleep. I’ll survive, I promise. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss it again.”

  Tomorrow she’d be telling him good-bye, and that was that. No more fooling around, no more distractions. He could be a casual friend, nothing more. But she was too tired to argue further. “Suit yourself.”

  “Good attitude. Remember that later, when you’re not naked in bed with me, okay?” He went to his back, pulled her atop him and arranged the sheet over her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Suiting myself.” He settled both hands on her bottom, kissed her shoulder, and sighed. “Sleep, Sierra. You’ve worn me out.”

  No way would she ever be able to sleep with his hard, hairy, very sexy body beneath her. She was too used to sleeping alone. But it was nice being held by him this way so she settled her cheek on his chest, curled her hand over his heart, and closed her eyes. She could feel his erection against her belly, feel the rhythmic thumping of his heartbeat, hear his deep breathing, smell him.

  She couldn’t resist pressing one small kiss to his sternum.

  It was the last thing she remembered doing.

  Throughout the long night, Ben lay awake, listening to the storm fade. The rumbling thunder and extravagant lightning moved into the distance until he could no longer see or hear it. It left behind a gentle, steady rain that gradually dwindled to little more than a sprinkle. Moonlight showed up in the wee hours of the morning, casting opalescent shadows over all the wet windowpanes. Then later, the first rays of the sun cut through the darkness, promising a beautiful, if muggy, day.

  He was bone-tired, but somehow deeply satisfied. All night long, he’d held Sierra, touched her, petted her. She was there, and he knew it, and he didn’t want to miss a single second of being with her.

  He couldn’t seem to quiet his awareness long enough to drift off to sleep.

  Sierra suffered no such problem. She’d slept through his every touch, sometimes sighing softly, sometimes shifting position. But she hadn’t awakened.

  When bright morning sunbeams struggled to penetrate the curtained windows, Ben rolled her slight, soft form to his side. The electricity finally kicked back on, stirring the silence with a buzz of awakening power lines, circuits and machinery. Sierra snuffled, moaned a little, then resettled into a deep sleep.

  Ben rose to one elbow and took the long survey of her body that he’d wanted to take earl
ier. He dragged the sheet all the way to her ankles. He’d slept in his jeans, both to guard against his own lack of control and to let her rest easy. Though they were glove-soft and well worn, they felt far from comfortable.

  Sierra stretched one arm above her head, her slender legs moving on the mattress. A small sound escaped her, then a sigh.

  Keeping his hands off her tested his resolve.

  Her skin was flushed from sleep, dewy and damp; with the loss of electricity, the room had quickly become too warm during the night and they were both a bit sweaty.

  Now, with the air-conditioning back on and running full force, cool air drifted across the room and over her body. Her nipples puckered tight. Ben hadn’t been able to see her that well in the darkness, hadn’t been able to determine the color, but now he could. To his delight and fascination, he found that her nipples were a soft brown, and he wanted to taste her all over again. Everywhere.

  Her nose was small, a bit pointed, her cheekbones high. And that lovely, very kissable mouth . . .

  Broad shoulders, strong thighs, and a very flat belly made her build a bit boyish. Her waist wasn’t overly narrow and her breasts, though round and firm, weren’t overly large.

  She was still the sexiest thing Ben had ever seen. His desire didn’t just stir at the sight of her, at being with her. No, it exploded with the force of dynamite. For whatever reason, she appealed to him on every level.

  Other than the few freckles across her nose and cheeks, her skin was flawless. Her arched brows and lashes were brown, darker than the hair on her head, and without the reddish-gold cast. Ben looked at the tight reddish curls shielding her sex, and he smiled. He couldn’t stop himself from touching her there, a light, easy touch that made him want so much more. He tangled his fingers in the soft curls, stroking her lightly, then cupped his hand over her. His eyes closed. She was just as hot as he’d remembered, and in her sleep, she parted her thighs for him.

  Heart thumping hard, his fingers firmly pressed between her thighs, Ben sat up to look at her more closely. His gaze went from her face to her belly and back again, waiting for her to awaken, to maybe shriek or if he was lucky, moan in acceptance.